An Exercise in "Clear is Kind"

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An Exercise in "Clear is Kind"

Managers may have difficulty delegating tasks because of control and trust issues. They may have the mindset that it's better if they do it themselves, or they have delegated tasks before and have had to redo the work. In addition, employees may be hesitant to perform tasks that they may not feel competent to complete, or they have had tasks delegated to them before that they were unable to complete through no fault of their own.
Both communication and coaching are crucial in situations in which it is important to be clear, such as delegation of tasks, employee evaluations, and emergency/crisis scenarios. Leaders are responsible for setting up others for success, not failure.
A way in which any leader can practice the model of Clear is Kind, is by using the TASC tool. As outlined in Dr. Brene Brown's Dare to Lead, TASC is simply a process of identifying who is performing the task and can they be successful in completing the task.
TASC stands for:
T: Who owns the Task?
A: Do they have the authority to be held accountable?
S: Are they set up for success?
C: Is there a checklist of what needs to happen to accomplish the task?
Who owns the task?
In any instance in which something needs to be accomplished, it should be quite clear to all involved who is assigned to accomplish what. Have you ever left a meeting or conversation in which you don't know what you're supposed to be doing next?
Do they have the authority to be held accountable?
Both employee and manager need to recognize if the person responsible has the authority to be held accountable. Does the task involve instructing others to do things? Does the task require the input from other sections?
Are they set up for success?
Does the person responsible have all the resources needed to meet deadlines and accomplish the task? Resources include, but are not limited to, time away from regular duties, space, access to necessary data or programs, and support as needed.
Do they know what needs to be accomplished to be successful?
Both manager and employee should ask the question, what will this look like when done? It needs to be communicated clearly what done looks like as well as deadlines for completion.